Influence of pier height on the safety of trains running on high-speed railway bridges during earthquakes

Sudden earthquakes pose a threat to the running safety of trains on high-speed railway bridges,and the stiffness of piers is one of the factors affecting the dynamic response of train-track-bridge system.In this paper,a experiment of a train running on a high-speed railway bridge is performed based on a dynamic experiment system,and the corresponding numerical model is established.The reliability of the numerical model is verified by experiments.Then,the experiment and numerical data are analyzed to reveal the pier height effects on the running safety of trains on bridges.The results show that when the pier height changes,the frequency of the bridge below the 30 m pier height changes greater;the increase of pier height causes the transverse fundamental frequency of the bridge close to that of the train,and the shaking angle and lateral displacement of the train are the largest for bridge with 50 m pier,which increases the risk of derailment;with the pier height increases from 8 m to 50 m,the derailment coefficient obtained by numerical simulations increases by 75% on average,and the spectral intensity obtained by experiments increases by 120% on average,two indicators exhibit logarithmic variation.

Reliability-based life-cycle cost seismic design optimization of coastal bridge piers with nonuniform corrosion using different materials

Reinforcement corrosion is the main cause of performance deterioration of reinforced concrete(RC)structures.Limited research has been performed to investigate the life-cycle cost(LCC)of coastal bridge piers with nonuniform corrosion using different materials.In this study,a reliability-based design optimization(RBDO)procedure is improved for the design of coastal bridge piers using six groups of commonly used materials,i.e.,normal performance concrete(NPC)with black steel(BS)rebar,high strength steel(HSS)rebar,epoxy coated(EC)rebar,and stainless steel(SS)rebar(named NPC-BS,NPC-HSS,NPC-EC,and NPC-SS,respectively),NPC with BS with silane soakage on the pier surface(named NPC-Silane),and high-performance concrete(HPC)with BS rebar(named HPC-BS).First,the RBDO procedure is improved for the design optimization of coastal bridge piers,and a bridge is selected to illustrate the procedure.Then,reliability analysis of the pier designed with each group of materials is carried out to obtain the time-dependent reliability in terms of the ultimate and serviceability performances.Next,the repair time of the pier is predicted based on the time-dependent reliability indices.Finally,the time-dependent LCCs for the pier are obtained for the selection of the optimal design.

Regularity classification and corresponding analysis method requirements of horizontally curved bridges with unequal pier heights

The seismic behavior of horizontally curved bridges,particularly with unequal height piers,is more complicated than that of straight bridges due to their geometric properties.In this study,the seismic responses of several horizontally curved single-column-bent viaducts with various degrees of curvature and different pier heights have been investigated,employing three different analysis approaches:namely,modal pushover analysis,uniform load method,and nonlinear time history analysis.Considering the investigated bridge configurations and utilizing the most common regularity indices,the results indicate that viaducts with 45-degree and 90-degree deck subtended angles can be categorized as regular and moderately irregular,respectively,while the bridges with 180-degree deck subtended angle are found to be highly irregular.Furthermore,the viaducts whose pier heights are asymmetric may be considered as irregular for almost all ranges of the deck subtended angles.The effects of higher transverse and longitudinal modes are discussed and the minimum analysis requirements are identified to assess the seismic response of such bridge configurations for design purposes.Although the Regularity Indices used here are useful tools to distinguish between regular and irregular bridges,further studies are needed to improve their reliability.

Design and Engineering of Urban Interchange Ramp Bridge Structure

This paper analyzes the structural design of an urban interchange ramp bridge from four aspects,which are the superstructure,pier structure,foundation structure,and deck structure design to summarize the structural design ideas of this urban interchange ramp bridge,which can be used as a reference for future construction of the same bridge.

Time-varying seismic fragility analysis of durability damage of high-tensile reinforcement ECC bridge pier

The deterioration of the performance of offshore bridges is particularly prominent due to the complex natural environment,including the coupling effects of earthquake and seawater erosion.In particular,bridge piers are the main energy-consuming and load-bearing components,so that excellent seismic capacity of bridge piers is the key to avoiding bridge damage.Although earthquake resistant behavior of ordinary reinforced concrete bridge piers(ordinary pier)can be improved by increasing the section size and reinforcement ratio of piers,the improvement of the earthquake resistant behavior is limited.To further improve the earthquake resistant behavior of bridge piers,high-tensile reinforcement engineered cementitious composite(ECC)bridge piers are utilized and time-varying seismic fragility analysis are conducted in this study.The refined model of a bridge pier is built by OpenSees.First,the influence of ECC replacement height on pier curvature is analyzed to determine the reasonable ECC height.Then,the time-varying fragility analysis of high-tensile reinforcement ECC piers(ECC composite piers)with durability damage are evaluated considering the time-varying law of materials.Four damage states,slight damage,moderate damage,extensive damage and complete collapse,are utilized in the study.These fragility curves indicate the durability damage can debase the earthquake resistant behavior of piers continually,the exceedance probability of the same state of destruction increases with the increase of peak ground acceleration(PGA)and service time of pier.The results also indicate that the corrosion level of chloride ion to pier is small during the early service period,and the bridge pier vulnerable curve is similar to that of the new bridge pier.As the level of chlorine ion corrosion deepens,transcendental probability is increased.Compared with the ordinary pier,the exceedance probability in each limit state of ECC composite piers is significantly reduced.The proposed ECC composite pies leads to better realistic time-varying earthquake resistant behavior.

ML and CFD Simulation of Flow Structure around Tandem Bridge Piers in Pressurized Flow

Various regions are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the increased frequency of floods due to the recent changes in climate and precipitation patterns throughout the world.As a result,specific infrastructures,notably bridges,would experience significant flooding for which they were not intended and would be submerged.The flow field and shear stress distribution around tandem bridge piers under pressurized flow conditions for various bridge deck widths are examined using a series of three-dimensional(3D)simulations.It is indicated that scenarios with a deck width to pier diameter(Ld/p)ratio of 3 experience the highest levels of turbulent disturbance.In addition,maximum velocity and shear stresses occur in cases with Ld/p equal to 6.Results indicate that increasing the number of piers from 1 to 2 and 3 results in the increase of bed shear stress by 24%and 20%respectively.Finally,five machine learning algorithms,including Decision Trees(DT),Feed Forward Neural Networks(FFNN),and three Ensemble models,are implemented to estimate the flow field and the turbulent structure.Results indicated that the highest accuracy for estimation of U,and W,were obtained using AdaBoost ensemble with R2=0.946 and 0.951,respectively.Besides,the Random Forest algorithm outperformed AdaBoost slightly in the estimation of V and turbulent kinetic energy(TKE)with R2=0.894 and 0.951,respectively.

Numerical Simulation of the Influence of Water Flow on the Piers of a Bridge for Different Incidence Angles

A two-dimensional mathematical model is used to simulate the influence of water flow on the piers of a bridge for different incidence angles.In particular,a finite volume method is used to discretize the Navier-Stokes control equations and calculate the circumferential pressure coefficient distribution on the bridge piers’surface.The results show that the deflection of the flow is non-monotonic.It first increases and then decreases with an increase in the skew angle.

Ultra-High Performance Concrete: An Advanced Solution for Accelerated Bridge Pier Cap Rehabilitation and Bearing Replacement

The objective of this paper is to propose and illustrate feasibility, approach, validation as per prevailing codes and design standards, specification to rehabilitate bridge pier cap by using Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC). The evaluation of existing pier caps and bearings indicates that the complete removal of existing bearing is undesirable due to 1) massive size of bearing 2) difficulty in cutting through the thick components of existing bearing 3) deeply anchored lower shoe of existing bearings 4) huge cost and time required to erect temporary support system for superstructure to facilitate the construction of new piers. To overcome these difficulties, UHPC could be cast around the lower shoe up to the existing bearing pin. This UHPC cast could be used to support jacks and temporary bearings. The new low height permanent bearing could then be installed after removing the upper shoe of the existing bearing. In the present research, first properties of UHPC are summarized followed by evaluation of case studies to check feasibility of the solution to rehabilitate pier cap by using UHPC. The complex load paths in pier cap are idealized by using validated strut and tie model as per prevailing AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specification.

Experimental investigation on seismic performance of rigid frame tied-arch bridge with split-piers

A novel seismic design method, namely split-pier seismic design, is proposed. A vertical gap and connect elements are set in split-piers. The lateral stiffness of piers is reduced by cracking of the connect elements under severe earthquake, and the seismic response of bridges is reduced by avoiding the site predominant periods. A model of tied-arch rigid frame bridge with split-piers was designed. Seismic performance was investigated by pseudo-static experimentation on the scale model, The failure process of split-piers, the hysteresis characteristic and the effect of split-piers on the superstructure are presented. Results show that the split-pier has better seismic performance than common ductile piers do.

Rapid repair techniques for severely earthquake-damaged circular bridge piers with flexural failure mode

In this study, three rapid repair techniques are proposed to retrofit circular bridge piers that are severely damaged by the flexural failure mode in major earthquakes. The quasi-static tests on three 1：2.5 scaled circular pier specimens are conducted to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed repair techniques. For the purpose of rapid repair, the repair procedure for all the specimens is conducted within four days, and the behavior of the repaired specimens is evaluated and compared with the original ones. A finite element model is developed to predict the cyclic behavior of the repaired specimens and the numerical results are compared with the test data. It is found that all the repaired specimens exhibit similar or larger lateral strength and deformation capacity than the original ones. The initial lateral stiffness of all the repaired specimens is lower than that of the original ones, while they show a higher lateral stiffness at the later stage of the test. No noticeable difference is observed for the energy dissipation capacity between the original and repaired pier specimens. It is suggested that the repair technique using the early-strength concrete jacket confined by carbon fiber reinforced polymer （CFRP） sheets can be an optimal method for the rapid repair of severely earthquake-damaged circular bridge piers with flexural failure mode.

Experimental Study on Local Scour Around Bridge Piers in Tidal Current

Local scour around a bridge pier is an important parameter for the design of a bridge. Compared with the local scour in a mono-directional current, the local scour in a tidal current has its unique characteristics. In this paper, several aspects of local scour around bridge piers in tidal current, including the scour development process, the plane form of a scour hole and the maximum scour depth, are studied through movable bed flume experiments.

Experimental research and finite element analysis of bridge piers failed in flexure-shear modes

In recent earthquakes, a large number of reinforced concrete （RC） bridges were severely damaged due to mixed flexure-shear failure modes of the bridge piers. An integrated experimental and finite element （FE） analysis study is described in this paper to study the seismic performance of the bridge piers that failed in flexure-shear modes. In the first part, a nonlinear cyclic loading test on six RC bridge piers with circular cross sections is carried out experimentally. The damage states, ductility and energy dissipation parameters, stiffness degradation and shear strength of the piers are studied and compared with each other. The experimental results suggest that all the piers exhibit stable flexural response at displacement ductilities up to four before exhibiting brittle shear failure. The ultimate performance of the piers is dominated by shear capacity due to significant shear cracking, and in some cases, rupturing of spiral bars. In the second part, modeling approaches describing the hysteretic behavior of the piers are investigated by using ANSYS software. A set of models with different parameters is selected and evaluated through comparison with experimental results. The influences of the shear retention coefficients between concrete cracks, the Bauschinger effect in longitudinal reinforcement, the bond-slip relationship between the longitudinal reinforcement and the concrete and the concrete failure surface on the simulated hysteretic curves are discussed. Then, a modified analysis model is presented and its accuracy is verified by comparing the simulated results with experimental ones. This research uses models available in commercial FE codes and is intended for researchers and engineers interested in using ANSYS software to predict the hysteretic behavior of reinforced concrete structures.

Rapid repair of severely earthquake-damaged bridge piers with flexural-shear failure mode

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of a proposed rapid repair technique for severely earthquake-damaged bridge piers with flexural-shear failure mode. Six circular pier specimens were first tested to severe damage in flexural-shear mode and repaired using early-strength concrete with high-fluidity and carbon fiber reinforced polymers （CFRP）. After about four days, the repaired specimens were tested to failure again. The seismic behavior of the repaired specimens was evaluated and compared to the original specimens. Test results indicate that the proposed repair technique is highly effective. Both shear strength and lateral displacement of the repaired piers increased when compared to the original specimens, and the failure mechanism of the piers shifted from flexural-shear failure to ductile flexural failure. Finally, a simple design model based on the Seible formulation for post-earthquake repair design was compared to the experimental results. It is concluded that the design equation for bridge pier strengthening before an earthquake could be applicable to seismic repairs after an earthquake if the shear strength contribution of the spiral bars in the repaired piers is disregarded and 1.5 times more FRP sheets is provided.

Nonlinear Stability Analysis of Long Span Continuous Rigid Frame Bridge with Thin Wall High Piers

By utilizing the current finite element program ANSYS, two types of finite element models (FEM), the beam model (BM) and shell model (SM), are established for the nonlinear stability analysis of a practical rigid frame bridge—Longtanhe Great Bridge. In these analyses, geometrical and material nonlinearities are simultaneously taken into account. For geometrical nonlinearity, updated Lagrangian formulations are adopted to derive the tangent stiffness matrix. In order to simulate the nonlinear behavior of the plastic hinge of the piers, the multi lines spring element COMBIN39 is used in the SM while the bilinear rotational spring element COMBIN40 is employed in the BM. Numerical calculations show that satisfying results can be obtained in the stability analysis of the bridge when the double coupling nonlinearity effects are considered. In addition, the conclusion is significant for practical engineering.

CFD prediction of local scour hole around bridge piers

In order to predict the local scour hole and its evaluation around a cylindrical bridge pier, the computational fluid dynamics （CFD） and theories of sediment movement and transport were employed to carry out numerical simulations. In the numerical method, the time-averaged Reynolds Navier-Stokes equations and the standard k-e model were first used to simulate the three-dimensional flow field around a bridge pier fixed on river bed. The transient shear stress on river bed was treated as a crucial hydrodynamic mechanism when handling sediment incipience and transport. Then, river-bed volumetric sediment transport was calculated, followed by the modification of the river bed altitude and configuration. Boundary adaptive mesh technique was employed to modify the grid system with changed river-bed boundary. The evolution of local scour around a cylindrical bridge pier was presented. The numerical results represent the flow pattern and mechanism during the pier scouring, with a good prediction of the maximum scour hole depth compared with test results.

Effect of Downward Seepage on Turbulent Flow Characteristics and Bed Morphology around Bridge Piers

In this work, experimental investigations have been pursued to analyse the influence of downward seepage on the turbulent characteristics of flow and corresponding changes in vortex structure around circular bridge pier in alluvial channel. Experiments were conducted in sand bed channel with circular piers of different sizes for no seepage, 10% seepage and 20% seepage cases. The measurement of turbulent flow statistics such as velocity and Reynolds stresses is found to be negative within the scour hole at upstream of the pier whereas application of downward seepage retards the reversal of the flow causing a decrement in the velocity and Reynolds stresses. Higher Reynolds shear stress prevails at the downstream side because of the production of wake vortices. Contribution of all bursting events to the total Reynolds shear stress production has been observed to increase with downward seepage. The analysis of integral scale suggest that size of eddies increases with seepage, which is responsible for increase in particle mobility. Initially rate of scouring is more which abatements gradually with expanding time as well as with the increased of downward seepage. Presence of downward seepage reduces the depth and length of vortex and shifts towards downstream side of the pier.

Experimental study on the width of the turbulent area around bridge pier

At present, the method of calculating the turbulent flow width around the bridge pier is not given in the ＂Standard for Inland River Navigation＂ （GB50139-2004） in China, and the bridge designer usually increases the bridge span in order to ensure the navigation safety, which increases both of the structural design difficulty and the project investments. Therefore, it is extremely essential to give a research on the turbulent flow width around the bridge pier. Through the experiments of the fixed bed and the mobile bed, the factors influencing the turbulent flow width around the bridge pier have been analyzed, such as the approaching flow speed, the water depth, the angles between the bridge pier and the flow direction, the sizes of bridge pier, the shapes of the bridge pier, and the scouting around the bridge pier, etc. Through applying the dimension analytic method to the measured data, the formula of calculating the turbulent flow width around the bridge pier is then inferred.

Finite element analysis of displacements of double pile-column bridge piers at steep slope

In order to study bearing characteristics of bridge pile at steep slope under complex loads in mountians, according to double pile-column bridge piers engineering at steep slope and test models in laboratory, finite element analysis of pile-column bridge piers was carried out using software ADINA under different loadings, such as horizontal loading in the longitudinal direction along bridge, vertical loadings, slope top loadings and complex loadings. The numerical simulation results show that displacements of front pile pier top and back pile pier top are different under horizontal loadings in the longitudinal direction along bridge or vertical loadings, the displacements of front pile pier top are higher than those of back pile pier top, and its difference increases with the increase of loadings. Vertical displacements will also appear under slope top loadings, and displacements of front pier top are higher than those of back pier top too, while its difference reduces with the increase of loadings. Displacements of both front pile pier top and back pile pier top under comlex loading are larger than those under single loading.

Seismic Performances of Mountainous Continuous Rigid Frame Solid and Hollow Pier Railway Bridges

This paper focuses on the seismic performance of mountainous railway bridges having different pier type i.e. rectangular hollow piers and solid piers. The piers used were of same materials and inertial properties. For this, 3-D FEM models of these bridges were created by ANSYS 15.0. For seismic assessment, Response Spectrum and Dynamic Time-History Analysis methods were adopted. Different types of earthquake waves used were Elcentro, Wenchuan and Nepal earthquakes, all normalized to 0.3 g Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA). The study concluded that even though the hollow pier bridges are susceptible to large displacements, its dealing with internal forces is remarkable compared to solid pier bridges.

Prediction of the Local Scour at the Bridge Square Pier Using a 3D Numerical Model

In this paper, the problem on local scour around a single square pier was studied by using both the numerical and physical models. The numerical model for the study is FSUM based on a finite-difference method to solve the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS) and the equations for suspended sediment concentration and bed morphology. The computed result was verified through data measured in the experimental flume with a sand bed. In general, the typical features of local scour around the pier were successfully simulated by FSUM, such as stream flow, bow flow, down flow, horseshoe vortex. The comparison between the computation and experiment data shows a quite good fitness. Both numerical model and experiment results show that the maximum scour depth occurs at two front edges of the pier. Although the computed result shows a little bigger scour depth in comparison with the measurement in the physical model, it still confirms the reliability of numerical model in some measure.